In The Stairwells
by ThorHammer17
Summary: I've always wondered what happens in the one place in the entire Golden Sun game where there are no monsters, guaranteed. Was supposed to be a oneshot at first, but now featuring Valeshipping, Lighthouseshipping, Puretortureshipping. RnR please!
1. In Which: There's No Room for the Djinn!

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. If I did, there would already be a third one.

This may or may not be a one-shot. I intended it to be at first, but I could make a few more chapters, preferably longer than this one though.

In the Stairwells

Isaac, Jenna, Mia, and Ivan were up front. Felix, Sheba, Piers, and Garet were taking up the rear. They had been in the Amenos Inner Sanctum for over seven hours now. Up ahead, Isaac saw a stairwell leading down to what appeared to be the bottom of the chambers. Isaac had no idea what kind of guardian awaited them at the end of this tomb, but he had a feeling that whoever it was would be more powerful than even the Star Magician had been.

"At least we have some stairs up ahead. Monsters must hate stairwells. They never hide there. I can't think of one time when we ran into a monster in a stairwell."

As soon as they entered the stairwell, Isaac stopped and called out to the rest of the group, "Guys, lets take a break in here. We need to rest up a little before we go try to fight this guardian. I'm pretty worn out."

"Rest sounds good," said Jenna, and plopped down on the stair on the other side of Isaac. "Do you have any more food? I'm starving."

"Well, I have a piece of corn that I picked up for free from some merchant in the Contigo marketplace. Do you want it?"

"Food is food," said Jenna, and took a large bite out of the corn, leaving a white space where her teeth had bitten off of it. The others began to sit down around him, except for Felix. He stood by the top of the stairwell, his hand on the edge of his Sol Blade.

"Come on, Felix, get some rest. You're going to need your strength for this."

"I'll stand guard," said Felix, the preoccupied leader as usual. Isaac couldn't say that he blamed him, though. He knew that Felix must know something about their mission that no one else did, but Isaac hadn't quite figured out how to ask him about that yet. He had considered asking Sheba to talk to him, as she was the only person he had ever opened up to, but it didn't feel right to him. He hadn't even considered asking Jenna. Whenever he had to discuss something serious with her, it made him nervous. So for the time being, he had to be content with letting Felix do the guiding. In the mean time, he decided to watch his friends.

Garet and Piers seemed to be arguing about something, probably about who would win in a fight or whose Orihalcum Sunshine had done a better job with. Ivan and Mia were getting along well as usual, mostly because they fought together so often. He looked away for a moment to grab an old cookie out of his pack, and when he looked back, Mia and Ivan were gone.

Isaac found this surprising, and got up and looked around the spiral staircase, only to see the shadows of two people who had most certainly failed to leave two inches for the Djinn. He heard Jenna's voice behind him.

"What's the matter Isaac? Are Mia and Ivan ok, or did something…..oh my," said Jenna, noticing their rather provocative actions bouncing off the wall as shadows to the flicker of a torch. "Well, at least this isn't awkward or anything…" Her voice trailed off, and Jenna and Isaac stood in an uncomfortable silence before walking back up toward Felix and the rest. Isaac decided that he had had enough of the stairwell for a while, and yelled loudly, "Let's go guys! Pack it up!"

Garet and Piers's argument had settled down, and they both looked over and continued to talk while they were packing their gear. Felix and Sheba were deep in mysterious discussion as always, and Mia and Ivan came back up the stairs a minute later, looking very happy but rather unkempt. Isaac just sighed and took his spot at the head of the party, ready to be out of this dungeon for good. The traps and puzzles had been almost worse the Ankhol Tower, according to Felix. Isaac had no idea what Ankhol Tower was, although he had heard Felix and his companions complain about it enough.

They left the stairway, and left their personal lives behind them, all ready to give up their lives for any of their friends if need be, and all ready for the horrors of the battle ahead of them. But inside, each of them looked forward to the next stairwell, ready to just be teenagers, not having to worry about the fate of the world on their shoulders, just the people in front of them that they cared about.

Sheba wanted to know more about the young man who would jump off of a lighthouse for her.

Felix wanted to know who Sheba really was, not just the girl who fell from the sky in Lalivero.

Piers just wanted to save the world from itself, and serve his King. He knew that Garet had strong motivation on this quest. It was a motive that Piers didn't have anymore.

Ivan and Mia discovered each other one night at the inn in Prox when neither had been able to sleep in the freezing temperatures and the loud winds. Both of them had been very happy recently.

Jenna was happy. She had food. She had friends, and plenty of them. And more recently, Isaac and Garet had come back to her. Jenna had been so worried that she would have to fight them. Now, she realized, she had even missed Garet, despite all of his personal flaws, but especially Isaac, her best friend ever since they had both been young. She was just glad, and now she only had one mission left, a mission that could mean the lives of everyone in the world…

Isaac had two things on his mind. First, he just wanted out of that bitch of a dungeon. He hated that place with a passion. But in the back of his mind, there was something else…

That's it, unless I get some serious positive feedback. I could do another stairwell story. I liked this one, it was fun to write.

Please insert cliché that is at the end of every fic right here, which only 8 out of 339 people ever listen to…


	2. In Which: Isaac p0wns Dullahan

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The fight with Dullahan, as they learned he was called, was the most outrageously difficult battle they had been in yet. Isaac had to admit it even trumped the battle he and his company had with the undead pirate captain on the way to Colosso. If it hadn't been for Felix's brilliant strategy, they would not have won the battle.

"Here's what we do. Ivan, Sheba, Isaac, Piers. You guys get your Djinn ready to summon. We're going to hit him with everything we've got all at once. The rest of us will do the same thing, except me. I'll be ready to revive some of you if you take a hit after this. If we're lucky, we can get him. If not, then, well, you know, we get out and go back to the sanctum and try to recover before we go back to Mars Lighthouse. Are you all ok with that?"

"You're the boss," responded Garet as he whipped out his Excalibur. "Let's go. I've been in this dungeon for way too long."

And then, Sheba used Hover on the platform that they had rebuilt, and they were transported across the bottomless gap to the guardian. Their Psynergy had awoken the guardian, and he said, "I am the shadow, the keeper of light. If you want the sun's power, show me your own."

Then, their battle began in earnest. As Dullahan raised his hand to call forth his power, Ivan and Sheba reacted, summoning Thor, the highest elemental power of wind. Dullahan, however, shrugged it off as though it were nothing to be hit by two infinitely powerful lightning bolts.

He raised his hand, and he flashed vibrantly with all colors. His heavily armored body continued to glow, even as Isaac and Piers respectively summoned their great arsenal of Djinn, the might of the apocalypse and the power of the Northern Winds.

Then, Dullahan did something that was totally unexpected. He summoned Charon, the same Charon that they had learned to summon when they entered the dungeon. Ivan and Sheba were almost unconscious, and then Dullahan used the Haunt Psynergy, which all of the party was now, after so many battles with monsters and necromancers, fairly easily able to shrug off.

Then, Ivan and Sheba, who were both almost unconscious, both tried and succeeded one last time at summoning Thor, after which Dullahan began to glow with Psynergy and released a gigantic, purple sword made of something that resembled lightning, which stabbed Ivan in the stomach. He flew back several feet, impaled on the dark sword, and then stopped when he was smashed into the wall. Isaac jumped bravely in front of Dullahan and once again called down Judgment, before he was struck down by a relatively less powerful strike of Dullahan's sword.

Piers then summoned Boreas, and then Dullahan pulled in his strength and crippled all four of the remaining Djinn. After this incredible episode, only Piers and Sheba were still conscious. Sheba saw Dullahan getting ready to use his sword again, so she jumped forward and tried to stop him, and succeeded in unleashing the power of her Meditation Rod. However, after her brave leap, Dullahan shot out several orbs of that same eerie dark purple color and both Piers and Sheba fell to the ground, depleted of their strength.

Felix, who, along with everyone else, had been watching the battle intently, saw Dullahan readying those purple orbs. At that, he signaled to the rest of the party to attack.

The trap worked beautifully. Before Dullahan could respond, all four of them had summoned their most powerful elemental forces. He tried again to Curse and Haunt them, this time to some effect. Garet was unable to shrug off the forces of the spirits, and they continually swirled around him, draining his will. Although behind the rest of the party and unable to move more than his hands, Isaac could see that their plan was working. He saw that Dullahan looked much weaker. Dullahan took a great swing with his sword at Garet, who was once again unable to avoid the blow. This one left him on the floor.

At this, Felix turned around and pointed his palm at Isaac. Isaac felt his strength return and he instantly jumped up and look Garet's place in the battle. While the others summoned the last of their Djinn, Dullahan fought them ferociously. His sword moved with incredible speed, and he seemed almost untouchable. Then, he started to pick them off, weakened as they were, and before Mia was able to let loose her last summon, Dullahan's blade smashed against her robes. She crumpled to the ground. Only Jenna, Felix, and Isaac were left.

The purple orbs left his hand again, and this time seemed to rejuvenate him a little bit. The sword, like a pendulum, came back their way again, this time towards Jenna. She was hit badly. It pierced her wall of Psynergy that protected her, and then even her armor, which was made from mythril. She began to bleed profusely. Needless to say, this ticked Felix and Isaac off. Isaac felt his chest burn. This could be bad. Usually their Psynergy protected them from grave wounds like that. The burning rage beneath his ribs told him that the one who did this must pay.

Felix's eyes were fire, and he summoned two small swords made of Psynergy, and finally one large one, the last of which was even bigger than the one that Dullahan had been using. Then, he stabbed Dullahan with them. This seemed to have a lasting effect, as Dullahan began to bleed, not blood, but something that same eerie purple color out of his left side. However, Felix's powerful strike left him open, and Dullahan struck him one more time with the fell blade. Felix hit the dirt, and Isaac suddenly found himself alone in this dungeon facing the most terrible enemy they had ever seen.

Isaac dodged a sword strike aimed directly at him, and did a somersault over to where Felix lied. He grabbed the Sol Blade. At the same time, he saw Dullahan glowing in a rainbow of color again. Isaac poured everything he knew into one last final strike, knowing that if he missed, they would be almost certainly destroyed. He thought of his friends, his mother, all of the people they had known and helped while making their way around the world. He felt the blade infused with power, and took a flying slash at Dullahan.

In a whirl of power, Isaac knew he was now in front of the meteor of Psynergy that he had seen Felix so often summon. The beast crumpled. The battle was won.

Isaac used the last of his Psynergy to heal his body, and nearly fell asleep right there. However, he saw the tablet behind him rise to meet him, and it began to glow. As they had done several times before, Isaac went over and placed his hand on the tablet, allowing the power to flow through him. Then, he grabbed a drink from a vial of healing that they had found, and grabbed a Psynergy crystal, which helped him to regain his power, if but a little.

Then, he went about healing his friends. First, he revived Felix, and then Mia, and then all the others before he got to Jenna. Jenna's wound, he knew, was far beyond his ability as an earth adept. Mia would have a better chance of helping her, as opposed to harming her. Ivan, to his surprise, was actually no worse off than anyone else, despite the dark sword. His Psynergy had protected him. When they had all come back together, Felix and Isaac picked up Jenna, careful to keep her body still, and moved her back across the gap, and into the safety of the stairwell.

--

Well, I hope that I get as much positive feedback on this one as I did on the previous chapter. I've always wanted to write about this fight. More fun stuff in the stairwell next time, I promise.


	3. In Which: Nothing Important Happens

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jenna slowly opened her eyes. It was bright. She closed them again. She lay with her eyes barely open, waiting for them to adjust to the light. As she sat stretched out on the bed, she tried to work out where she was. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was… She couldn't remember.

She couldn't remember until an intense pain flared through her entire stomach. She leaned over the side of the bed and vomited, her body's reactions totally beyond her control. Suddenly, she was aware of several sets of feet climbing up stairs to her room. Her door burst open, and silhouettes poured into the room. Mia immediately began to use her Psynergy to try to purge whatever toxins Dullahan had left in her body. Felix stood off to the side, using his Earth Psynergy to restore her aching body. Isaac was left with the pleasant task of holding back Jenna's hair.

After about twenty minutes, Garet and Sheba came in with the village elder, who assisted Mia in her healing. After many long, arduous hours, Jenna finally slept peacefully, the toxins gone from her body. Isaac, Felix, and Mia, on the other hand, were not quite so well off.

Felix went downstairs to the main floor of the inn. He had every intention of buying some food to restore some energy. He never quite made it to the counter, and instead passed out in a chair by the bottom of the stairs.

Mia and Sheba had helped Jenna get cleaned up before putting her into bed. Sheba, because she had been spared the first violent twenty minutes, was fairly well off. She had offered to take over watching Jenna, and Mia had accepted.

Mia, however, felt and most certainly looked rather disgusting. She cleaned herself off as best she could, and then went outside behind the inn. She used some of her remaining Psynergy to conjure up a small rainstorm, which made for a quick wash. However, as nasty as she had been, she almost instantly regretted the choice in the now very cold city of Contigo. Then, she felt a very warm breeze. She sighed, and allowed the warm air to dry her off.

Then, as she enjoyed her good fortune, she began to consider the likelihood of such a well-placed warm breeze when the elements were so obviously stacked against it. However, before she was finished with said considering, she felt a small shock tingle all the way up her back. She turned around, and there was a very mischievous-looking Wind adept grinning at her. She grabbed him and pulled him off behind the walls of the inn, where they stayed for hours, unaware of time passing.

Isaac. Isaac stood in front of what little water he had, which was the quantity that would fit in a very small jar. Garet and Piers had gone out training, and Mia was nowhere to be found. Isaac felt rather helpless. He was covered in a rainbow of disgusting substances, and, in the dry city of Contigo, he had very little to use to wash. Eventually, he gave up on staying warm, and took the small walk to the inlet by the city, shedded his outer layers, and jumped in the water. He ignored the cold, and felt the incredible rush of life flowing through him that came with the ocean.

He swam for about another ten minutes, before drying as much as he could and returning to the inn. He came in through the foyer, and went upstairs to check on Jenna. He knocked quietly on the door, and then after a moment Sheba opened the door for him.

"Do you mind watching her for a while? I need to clean up a little bit."

"No problem. Go ahead," replied Isaac. Sheba thanked him and left the room. He sat down in the chair that Sheba had occupied a moment before, left to his own thoughts. They wandered to the nearest point of interest, Jenna. Isaac was still confused about what had happened to him when Dullahan had stabbed her. It felt like he had lost control of his own body. He had been so angry, because…

And he couldn't answer that question. He didn't know why it had made him so mad that Jenna had been stabbed, but the part that confused him the most is why he had been so sure it should be him in that bed throwing up all over the place after getting stabbed by a dark-possessed blade. Not Jenna. And she looked so peaceful at the moment. Wiped out from being sick, but nonetheless peaceful. Sheba came back with a tray of food. She gently shook Jenna awake, while Isaac took a step back to avoid any more "projectiles."

Jenna kept the food well, and the next morning Isaac received quite a surprise. Him, Felix, and Sheba had taken turns watching over Jenna the previous night, and when Felix had finished the last shift before breakfast, he and Sheba had gone down to breakfast. As Isaac started on his way back up the stairs, he saw something that he most certainly did not expect. At the top of the stairs was a just waking Jenna, out of bed and walking on her own. She smiled brightly at him and when he came closer, she gave him a gigantic hug.

"It's good to see you, Isaac! I'm hungry though. Really hungry. How long was I out of it?"

"Well, about two days. You spent one day, well, throwing up and one day asleep. We've all been worried. I'm glad you're ok," said Isaac.

"It feels good to be moving again," said Jenna in agreement, and she started to take a couple of steps down the stairs. Before she made it to the third step, she faltered, and Isaac jumped over to catch her.

"Are you sure you can walk?" he asked. "Maybe we should just go back upstairs to your room."

"No," she said. "Not a chance. I am not going all the way back up there. Let's just sit down for a minute, and then I'll be ok. You go tell the others I'm alright."

"Ok…" said Isaac in reply. He went downstairs smiling, and announced to the entire congregation gathered for breakfast, "Guess who finally woke up?"

The response was an instant dash for the stairwell. Everybody sat on the stairs next to Jenna, and they all talked about what had happened over the past several days. Eventually, the conversation turned to the battle. At that moment, Ivan chimed in, "What exactly happened at the end there? Mia told me what happened up until when she passed out, but I want to hear the details. We've been sort of busy the past couple days.

"Well," said Felix, "Obviously Jenna was hit by the same sword that you were, Ivan, except it pierced her armor and Psynergy protection. Then, I cast Odyssey on the bastard, but he knocked me out. I am curious as to exactly what heroics Isaac undertook to win us that battle, especially alone in that dungeon."

At that point, all eyes in the room were focused on Isaac. "Not much to tell, really," he said. "I dodged one sword strike from that guy, and then I grabbed the Sol Blade, and I got it to unleash its power. It killed him. That's all it was."

"So you killed that superhuman guardian thing with a single blow from my sword?" asked Felix. Isaac nodded in reply. "Impressive." There was something that you didn't hear out of Felix every day, especially when directed towards Isaac.

"That must have been quite a hit to take him down like that," said rather amazed Mia. "He was probably the strongest one we've faced yet. I bet that since we can beat that guy, whatever is waiting for us in Mars Lighthouse is going to be a cinch."

So they stayed and talked for a little while longer, and then one by one everyone went their own way, until only Jenna and Isaac were left. They sat in a comfortable silence, until Isaac asked, "Can you walk yet?"

Jenna laughed. "Yes, Isaac, I think so. Could you help me up?"

"Yeah, no problem," said Isaac. He reached down and put her arm over his shoulder, and lifted her up onto her feet. "Where to?" he asked.

"Back up to my room please. I need to go lay down again. I still don't feel the best." Isaac walked her back up the stairs and then sat her down on her bed. She took a few breaths and looked at Isaac.

"Was that really the end of the battle? I can't believe you took him out just like that."

"I just hit him really hard. That was it, really. I guess I just wanted to get everyone out of there alive enough. I knew if I didn't, you probably weren't going to…" Isaac almost considered telling her exactly what he had been thinking about, but he hesitated for just a moment, and then Jenna spoke again.

"Yeah…" said Jenna quickly, and an awkward silence took over the room. After a few moments, Jenna spoke again. "Well, thanks for saving me and everything. Thanks for saving all of us. Even Felix was impressed. He complimented you. That doesn't happen a lot."

"And you know, I always thought that I would have to end up fighting Felix. And you. I don't think I could have fought anybody in your group besides Piers. He was the only one I didn't already care about."

"I'm glad we didn't fight. I couldn't have fought you. Garet, on the other hand…"

They both laughed, and talked about their childhoods, what had happened since they had been split up at the Sol Sanctum, and anything that came to mind until Jenna slowly drifted off back to sleep. Isaac left the room, and blew out the candle. The next day they would leave for Mars Lighthouse again. It was time. One more lighthouse.


	4. In Which: Felix And Sheba Get It On

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The trip to Prox was uneventful. By now, everyone was quite familiar with the North Sea, so they didn't even get lost.

There was an unusual tension among the group members while they were in Prox. It wasn't like they hadn't been there before. They had been into Mars Lighthouseto get the teleport lapis so that they could get to the Amenos Inner Sanctum. However, this time, there were no jokes made, and no old stories told.

Ivan stood outside of the Prox inn, his arms folded across his chest. Thought lines wrinkled his brow. Then, he heard a gentle voice behind him.

"Ivan, what's wrong?" asked Mia. "Have you been thinking about Hama again?"

"Yes," he replied, without turning around. "I've been thinking about what she said, and how a 'great power' stands to oppose us. What's going to happen when we try to light this lighthouse, Mia? Will the world be destroyed? Will we have to die to see our mission completed? I don't want to die yet, Mia."

His voice trailed off. She came up next to him and took his hand.

"Don't go," Ivan said simply.

Mia stood by his side silently, each preparing for the trials ahead.

--

Piers sat down to take care of his equipment. He hadn't been talking very much recently. They had done everything that they possibly could to prepare for their final assent up the lighthouse. Now all that remained was fate.

Piers force his doubts into cleaning his gear. Garet came in the room and silently followed suit. They both sat in silence until Garet spoke.

"Piers, why are you still fighting?"

"What?" exclaimed Piers, shocked by the unprompted question.

"Why do you still fight so hard? What are you fighting for?"

Piers paused for a moment.

"Well" he said slowly, "you just asked me two different questions. What am I fighting for? My king, my country, all of the people we met who could not defend themselves. My friends. My uncle."

"Why do I fight so hard? Because I know what will be sacrificed if I don't. I know what you fight for, Garet. And I fight so that you may fight. When I returned to Lemuria, my mother was dead. I fight so that you do not have to go home after this quest and find that you sacrificed everything for nothing. That is why I fight."

Garet nodded, and the two clasped hands. And in that moment, they discovered the bonds of brotherhood so often born of war.

--

Felix began to suit up. He grew tired of doing nothing. He put on everything but his upper layer of armor and went outside, careful to make sure that no one noticed him. He snuck off to a small cave on the northeast edge of town, where he proceeded to practice and refine his Psynergy one last time before they went back into the lighthouse.

Eventually Felix became tired and sat down on the wall of the cave. He placed his forehead on the palms of his hands. He was overwhelmed. So far, no one had been irreversibly hurt under his leadership, but he wasn't sure if he could finish the battle like that. Mia had almost died on Jupiter Lighthouse, by fault of Karst and Agiato. He didn't know what he would do if somebody died because of him.

He heard the sound of footsteps through the snow. He pulled himself over to the side of the cave, so that he could not be seen from the entrance.

"Felix?"

He heard Sheba's voice, and stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm right here, Sheba," he said.

"Why are you out here so late? I don't need to read your mind to know that something is wrong. You've never been so…unsettled before."

"You're right," he said. "I haven't. What if somebody dies, Sheba? What if somebody dies because I make a choice, and I can't do anything to stop it?"

"Felix, we know you'll do everything you can to get us all out alive. You jumped off a lighthouse to save me, and you hardly knew me. I believe in you, Felix."

"Sheba…"

Felix slumped back down on the floor. Sheba sat down next to him. Felix stared at the wall for some time, until Sheba spoke.

"Felix," she asked, "why did you jump for me?"

"How could I not have? Saturos and Merandi took you away from your home, away from Faran, with every intent to drag you all the way to Contigo. You would have died if I didn't. What kind of person would I be if I didn't jump, even if I hadn't cared about you?"

She looked into Felix's deep brown eyes, and she understood exactly what he had just told her. She leaned closer to him, and their lips touched softly, tenderly, as though the kiss was glass and in danger of breaking at any moment. They kissed a second, and then a third time, and lost themselves in the other's body.

--

Isaac stood at the edge of Prox, looking at the dark abyss that was eating up Weyard , and the towering monument to a civilization long gone. At the top of that monument stood their ffinal objective. Isaac, as well as Ivan, was greatly troubled by Hama's words. He didn't know what to expect there in the lighthouse, so it made him apprehensive.

In Mercury and Venus, he had known that he would find Saturos and Merandi at the top. In Jupiter, he had expected a fight with Felix. But here, all he knew was that some force, natural or otherwise, wanted to see them fail. He didn't know how to prepare for what lied ahead, and it frightened him.

The cold lighthouse betrayed nothing. It was made of stone and steel, menacing over the otherwise flat and bland landscape of Prox, blanketed with snow.

The winds howled and the snow fell fiercely everywhere. Some of the snow fell beyond the abyss. It was engulfed, and it utterly disappeared. Isaac turned away, not wanting to succumb to despair.

Jenna was standing behind him, and her face was wearing a matching set of emotions. She walked up next to him.

"I wish things were simple again, Isaac," she said. "I don't want to do this anymore. I know we're almost done, but…"

Jenna faltered, and fell down into the snow. Isaac sat down next to her, and after a minute Jenna began to cry.

"Isaac," she said through her tears, "do you remember the day before the boulder fell?"

"Yeah. We were planning on sneaking out to the dock."

"But then your mom overheard us. What if she hadn't? If we had been there, I don't think we would have survived the eruption."

"I know…"

A pause.

"Thanks for being my friend, Isaac. You and Felix are all I have left."

They sat quietly, their minds occupied by their own thoughts. Then Jenna shivered violently.

"Let's go back to the inn," said Isaac. "It's too cold out here."

They walked back to the inn and they started to go upstairs to their rooms. At the top of the stairs, Jenna stopped and turned toward Isaac.

"Promise me that no matter what, we will meet right here tomorrow, after we climb the lighthouse."

"I promise," said Isaac. Jenna embraced him tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. They touched hands and went their separate ways.


	5. In Which: There Is Finally Valeshipping

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They made their way back up the lighthouse, until they reached a room they had not come across before. There, they were greeted by an awesome sight. Two giant dragons stood entombed in a giant block of ice.

Felix had everyone prepare for battle. Ivan, Mia, Garet, and Piers stood at the ready, weapons drawn. He used grind on the block of ice, to little effect. Then, he had Sheba use Burst on the ice. That did the trick. Then, as Felix had guessed, the dragons awoke and attacked with a fury.

After a fierce battle, the dragons fell, and to everyone's shock, transformed into Karst and Agiato. They began to talk to each other.

"Why... Why am I lying here?" said Agiato. "Wait, I think I remember... We were going to light the beacon..."

"But the lighthouse was frozen," responded Karst weakly. "We wandered lost inside, trying to find the aerie... We must hurry... If we delay, Prox is destroyed."

"It's no use... I'm absolutely drained... I can't even stand."

"And the cold... Why am I so cold? We of the Fire Clan are meant to be immune to the cold..."

"I feel the cold too, Karst... I... I'm afraid we're going to die up here..."

"I can feel it now... The long, dark sleep creeping into my soul..."

"Wait... I think I remember... The eye... It told us that we lack the will to go any farther..."

"The eye... I remember now... I felt its gaze pierce me to the core, then all went black..."

"That's right... And I remember fighting against Felix..."

"I do, too... Was it a dream? An illusion?"

"Felix? Is that you?"

Felix nodded in reply.

"Yes."

"Amazing... Then our luck hasn't entirely run out yet..."

"Felix, you must complete our quest... Please... You have to light the beacon..."

"We can't even stand... We're in no condition to go on. Light the beacon for us... Please.."

"You'll need the Mars Star. Go on... Take it."

Felix grabbed the Mars Star solemnly, and placed it into his pack.

"Please hurry," said Karst, in between a fit of coughing. "If I can just see the light of the beacon, I'll know that I haven't died in vain."

"We're counting on you..."

With that, Felix and his friends departed, unwilling to sacrifice anyone else to this mission.

At this point, Kraden, who had spent the past several days in his room in Prox studying the lighthouse, began to put two and two together. He sensed that things were all connected somehow, Hama's words, Karst and Agiato's transformation, their quest. These thought commanded his attention as they lit the four flames. Then, as they climbed back into the lighthouse after igniting the fire of earth, they stopped in the final stairwell before the teleportation pad to prepare for the ascension to the top.

Kraden paced the bottom of the stairwell, where Piers and Garet sat. Piers tapped his foot incessantly, resting the tip of his Excalibur between his feet. Garet stared blankly at the wall. Mia sat absorbed in prayer. Ivan and Sheba exchanged Djinn, making sure that they were both prepared for whatever lied ahead. Felix stood at the top of the circular stairwell, vigilant as always.

Isaac sat in the middle of the stairs, several steps above Jenna. He had been struggling with what he should say to her since they had gone to bed in Prox the previous night. He knew now that what he had to do, but that didn't make what he was about to say any less nerve wracking. He sat down next to her.

"Jenna," he began, "I did some thinking last night, and it really hit home that all of us might not make it back to Prox."

"Don't say that Isaac," said Jenna softly.

"No," he replied, "It's true. And because of that, I can't go without telling you that, well, I…"

His resolve to tell her how he felt began to fade.

"What?" questioned Jenna tenderly, locking eyes with him. She looked into his soft blue eyes, and saw an ocean of emotion and passion. She waited for Isaac to finish his sentence, hoping that he was going to say what she had so long wanted him to say.

"Jenna, I love you."

His words arced gracefully into the air, and hung at the top of the world. Isaac waited breathlessly, his heart hanging in the balance.

Jenna leaned closer. Their lips touched, and they didn't need to say a word. In one simple action, one beautiful, passionate kiss, a lifetime of emotion was voiced.

Somewhere off in the distance, Felix shouted for everyone to head out. Isaac stood up an dlooked onward.b He was set in his purpose. He knew that no matter what happened on the pinnacle of the lighthouse, not even death would be able to separate him and Jenna. Felix had everyone gather on the pad and used teleport.


	6. In Which: I Skip The Doom Dragon Battle

Epilogue

Epilogue

Kraden realized too late that two plus two was in fact four. Because of that, the quest almost ended in failure, and they almost lost everything. However, everything turned out all right. Kraden spent the remainder of his days helping to maintain Tolbi, in absence of their beloved Babi. He studied Alchemy in his spare time, and his contributions became known all over the world. He eventually wrote a book about all the things he had seen on his journey, and everyone read it for years to come.

After the return to Vale, everyone agreed to escort the victorious Piers back to Lemuria. There, Conservato was removed from his post as Senator by the will of the people, and it was given to Piers. His voice was strong and wise, and it served Lemuria and King Hydros well.

Garet matured greatly through the duration of the quest. He even stopped alienating women, and married a girl from Vale. He stayed there to rebuild the town after the eruption. He and Piers remained friends until the day they died.

Ivan visited Hama after lighting Mars's beacon. There he also told his sister of his intention to marry Mia. She gave them her blessing, and Ivan lived with Mia in Imil. He visited his sister often, as well as the first man who ever trusted him, the man he came to call his father.

Sheba found Felix, and did not worry about her past anymore. And because she did not worry, the answers came to her, many years later, when she and Felix returned to the Amenos Inner Sanctum at his suggestion. There, Felix felt more pressure than he had ever endured, but he was deemed worthy enough to marry the true daughter of Amenos. They lived a long and happy life together.

--

_(FLASHBACK)_

…And the Doom Dragon fell. Isaac, Jenna, and Felix discovered that they had killed their parents. Then, when all hope seemed lost, the beacon's light restored Alchemy to the world, as well as life to their parents. Isaac and Jenna met in the stairwell early that morning before anyone else was awake.

"We did it," stated Isaac simply.

"We did it," agreed Jenna.

There was a pause. Then Isaac spoke again.

"Jenna, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't care where or how, but it has to be with you."

"Isaac… Yes. I want to be with you too."

Isaac smiled and took her by the hand.

--

Later, on the ship on the way home…

"You know," said Jenna, "compared to Prox, Vale seems like a city in paradise. I can't wait to get farther down south. I tired of the cold and snow. I want green grass."

"Me too," said Isaac.

"Will you take me home Isaac?" she asked. "We have to tell your mother about us."

"Yeah, I will," he said. "I'm sure she'll be happy. She's always liked you."

Somewhere, universes away, a man became inspired by this moment, so inspired that he wrote a song about this moment. The man's name was Axl Rose. But that's another story.

--

Years later…

A man stands with his face to the sun on top of his house, fixing his roof. He uses Psynergy to move the bales of hay. Two young children stand near the ladder beneath him. He finishes mending the roof, pretending not to notice them.

He eyes the two children suspiciously. Suddenly, the ground slides out from under their feet. The children get up and run away laughing. The man grins.

He climbs down from the ladder and goes inside. He smells wonderful food, including his favorite, corn from Contigo. He walks in father, and sees a pair of soft, sparkling brown eyes, full of love and passion.

"Hello Jenna."

-FIN-


End file.
